Comptime fn body containing BOTH a nested comptime call
(`print(...)`) AND a `return X;` fails in one of two shapes
depending on the comptime-param flavour: a `storeAtRawPtr`
panic in the interp (plain `$x: s32` comptime) or "unresolved
'result'" at compile time (pack-fn `..$args`).
Same root: my issue-0045 fix's `inline_return_target` slot
setup interacts badly with the recursive comptime-call path
that invokes `#insert build_format(fmt)` → interpreter →
parse-and-lower of `result := ...` statements.
Pre-issue-0045-fix the pattern crashed at the LLVM verifier
("Terminator found in the middle of a basic block") so the
recursive path never ran. The fix exposed the deeper bug; it
didn't create it.
Not blocking the next pack-feature slices:
- Step 2a tests use arrow-form bodies with no nested print.
- Steps 2b/3 don't inherently require nested comptime calls —
builders run inside `#insert` contexts, not inside public
pack-fn bodies.
- Will bite when step 5 refactors stdlib's `print`/`format` to
`..$args` or when user code writes a pack-fn with both
`print` debug output and an early `return`.
Investigation prompt in the issue file points at
`createComptimeFunction`'s saved/restored state list (missing
`inline_return_target`, `pack_arg_nodes`,
`comptime_param_nodes`) as the most likely angle.
141 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
141 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
# Symptom
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A comptime fn body containing BOTH a nested comptime call
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(e.g. `print(...)`) AND a `return X;` statement fails in one of
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two shapes depending on the comptime-param flavour:
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| Outer fn shape | Failure |
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| `helper :: ($x: s32) -> s64 { print("inside\n"); return 42; }` (plain comptime) | Panic: `cast causes pointer to be null` at `src/ir/interp.zig:207 storeAtRawPtr`. |
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| `dump :: (..$args) -> s64 { n := args[0]; print("got {}\n", n); return n; }` (pack-fn) | Compile error: `unresolved 'result'` at fake span `1:5` (inside the inserted code). |
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Both vanish if you remove either the nested `print(...)` OR the
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`return X;` statement:
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- Arrow-form bodies (`=> expr`) work.
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- Bodies with `return` but no nested comptime call work.
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- Bodies with a nested comptime call but no `return` work.
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Both faces share one root: my fix for issue-0045 (commit
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`9e78790`) added an `inline_return_target` slot + alloca in
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`lowerComptimeCall`, which is now active when the outer call's
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body recursively invokes another comptime fn that itself runs
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the `#insert build_format(fmt)` → interpreter → parse-and-lower
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pipeline.
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Pre-fix this pattern crashed too — at the LLVM verifier with
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"Terminator found in the middle of a basic block" — because the
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outer `return` emitted `ret X` into the caller's basic block
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mid-flight. My fix routed `return` into the slot so the outer
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body now fully completes, which means the recursive comptime
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call runs to completion too. The interpreter / #insert scope
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chain then has to be correct in this newly-reachable context,
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and it isn't.
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# Reproduction
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```sx
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#import "modules/std.sx";
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// Face 1 — interp panic:
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helper :: ($x: s32) -> s64 {
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print("inside\n");
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return 42;
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}
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// Face 2 — "unresolved 'result'":
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dump :: (..$args) -> s64 {
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n : s64 = args[0];
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print("got {}\n", n);
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return n;
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}
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main :: () -> s32 {
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n := helper(7); // ← panic in interp
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print("{}\n", dump(7)); // ← "unresolved 'result'"
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return 0;
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}
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```
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Each face reproduces independently — they don't need to coexist
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in the same program.
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# What's NOT happening
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- Not a regression introduced by issue-0045's fix per se: the
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same pattern hit a different fatal stage (LLVM verifier) before
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the fix. The fix exposed it; it didn't create it.
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- Not caused by step 2a (pack typed indexing, commit `cd36784`):
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Face 1 reproduces with a plain `($x: s32)` comptime fn, no
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pack involved.
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- Not exercised by any test in the suite today. `format`/`print`
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use arrow form or `#insert`-only bodies — no `return` in a
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block. User code historically followed the same pattern.
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# Why this didn't block step 2a
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Step 2a only tests `args[$i]` in arrow-form pack bodies and
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arithmetic chains. No nested comptime call in any test body.
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Step 2b (per-mono mangling) and step 3 (type-reflection
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intrinsics, `$args[$i]` in type positions) don't inherently
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require nested comptime calls either — builder fns run inside
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`#insert` contexts, not inside the public pack-fn body, so
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they have a different lowering path.
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The pattern WILL bite when:
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- Step 5 of the pack plan refactors stdlib's `print`/`format` to
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use `..$args` — print's body itself becomes the outer comptime
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fn that nests comptime calls.
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- User code writes a pack-fn that wants both `print` for debug
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output AND `return X;` for early exit.
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# Investigation prompt
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For a fresh session picking this up:
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The interaction is between (a) my issue-0045 `inline_return_target`
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slot + alloca setup in `lowerComptimeCall` and (b) the recursive
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comptime path that invokes `#insert build_format(fmt)` →
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`evalComptimeString` → `createComptimeFunction` → `interp.call`
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on a wrapper fn, then parses the returned source string and
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lowers each parsed statement into the current scope.
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Three angles worth probing:
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1. **Saved/restored state in `createComptimeFunction`** at
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`src/ir/lower.zig:8851+`. It saves `builder.func`,
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`builder.current_block`, `builder.inst_counter`, `self.scope`,
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`current_ctx_ref`. It does NOT save/restore
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`inline_return_target`, `pack_arg_nodes`, `comptime_param_nodes`.
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The first two were added by my recent commits (`9e78790`,
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`cd36784`). One of these leaking into the wrapper-fn lowering
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is the most likely cause of Face 1.
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2. **Ref numbering** — the alloca I added for `ret_slot` shifts
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subsequent Ref values in the outer fn (main). The interp
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shouldn't see those refs (it executes the wrapper fn's IR,
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not main's), but check whether the wrapper fn carries a stale
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Ref handle from the outer build context.
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3. **Scope chain visible to parsed `#insert` statements**. For
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Face 2 the inserted code declares `result := ""` then references
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`result` in the next stmt. The lookup fails. Maybe the
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`lowerBlockValue` exit defer fires the parent scope deinit
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before the next stmt lowers — or `block_terminated` from the
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inline-return slot setup is interfering with the inserted-stmt
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loop in `lowerInsertExprValue`
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(`src/ir/lower.zig:7065+`).
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A reasonable starting place: add the missing save/restore for
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`inline_return_target` (and `pack_arg_nodes`) in
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`createComptimeFunction`, then re-run both repros. If Face 1
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disappears, that confirms angle 1.
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# Verification
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```sh
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./zig-out/bin/sx run /tmp/issue-0046-face1.sx # expect "n=42"
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./zig-out/bin/sx run /tmp/issue-0046-face2.sx # expect "got 7\n7"
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```
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Full suite + zig test must still pass after the fix.
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